An Introduction to Effective Body Punching

I have a real passion for great body punching. Body punching is the ultimate leveller.  Well placed body punches can slow an opponent down and in many cases stop them in their tracks.

In this article I am going to provide you with a sound basis for understanding body punching and using body punching to best effect.

The article and video will break down into 3 sections:

• How to target body punches with precision
• How to land body punches at long range
• A final ‘wrap up’ to bring things together.

Here is the video and then below is some additional stuff to read in summary.

How to Target Body Punches

Being a great body puncher is not about hammering away wildly at the torso of the opponent.

Neither is great body punching about smashing shots at the ribs of the opponent.  The rib-cage is a very tough structure of bone and sinew, a structure that is not very often hurt in a boxing ring because of the protection provided by the gloves.

It is crucial when using body punches that you focus precisely on very specific areas of the body.

By targeting the body of the opponent in the correct way will more often result in the right result for you and the wrong result for them.

Here are 5 points to guide you identifying the perfect target for your very cultured body punches:

1. Find the base of your sternum (with the catchy scientific of the ‘xiphoid process’.)
2. The width of 3 fingers below that point you will find the solar plexus.  The solar plexus is a bunch of nerves that are very vulnerable to impact.
3. If your shot strikes lower than the solar plexus then the abdominal muscles are more likely to absorb the impact of the shot.
4. From the solar plexus, take the shape of an inverted ‘V’ down each side of the body beneath the lowermost rib.
5. This area is where you will find the liver, the spleen and a route inside the rib-cage to all of the other valuables.

Angle the Body Punches

Having identified the best place to land your shot the next task is to deliver that body shot.  And remember, this is not a tickling contest ( as Ricky Hatton once said), the shot is design to incapacitate your opponent…nothing less!

Aim to deliver the punch at an angle to ensure that the ‘shockwave’ of the body punch travels through as much of the mass of the body as possible.

Some really simple principles that should deliver immediate improvements in your body punching.  The next step then is to look at nailing the opponent with long range body punches.

How to Land Punches at Long Range

The majority of hurtful body shots tend to be short to mid-range hooks and uppercuts.

However, this does not mean that you should not fully recognise the positives of straight body shots, or any other long range shot for that matter.

In the video I use the jab and the straight back hand (right cross). I do not in any great detail go into the mechanics of how to throw the individual punches as they do not differ in technique from those already described on the site.

I also use the long range right hook in order to hit that ‘angled shot’ to increase the damage that can be inflicted.

Remember, straight shots to the body are most effective when used against an oncoming opponent.

The straight back hand to the body, when timed correctly using the forward momentum of the opponent, has some real stopping power. This punch is best used in a defensive setting.

Defense and attack being part of a total fighting style.

A Common Fault

There is one common fault to be aware of when throwing straight shots to the body (not including from the faults that can occur with the jab and right cross).

Do not be lazy and punch down toward the target.

For long range shots if you punch down to the target you leave yourself exposed to incoming punches (especially the very unpleasant uppercut) and using your forward momentum to increase the power of those incoming shots. You are also vulnerable to over-balancing.

Comments and questions below please.

Cheers

Fran

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